UNRISD pursues an active and varied publications programme, which includes in-house and commercially published books, special reports, programme and occasional papers, as well as newsletters on specific events and the Institute’s work in general.

Lands' leisure Boutique End Shorts Khaki The UNRISD 2016 Flagship Report helps unpack the complexities of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda in a unique way: by focusing on the innovations and pathways to policy change, and analysing which policies and practices will lead to social, economic and ecological justice. Drawing on numerous policy innovations from the South, the report goes beyond buzzwords and brings to the development community a definition of transformation which can be used as a benchmark for policy making toward the 2030 Agenda, intended to “leave no one behind”. Bringing together five years of UNRISD research across six areas—social policy, care policy, social and solidarity economy, eco-social policy, domestic resource mobilization, and politics and governance—the report explores what transformative change really means for societies and individuals.

Based on a systematic review of the literature, this brief considers the relative advantages and limitations of different existing methodologies to measure the scale and impact of SSE at the macro, meso and micro levels.

Effectively tackling climate change and setting the world on a sustainable, lowcarbon and socially just development path is the greatest challenge the world is now facing. Just Transition — the idea that justice and equity must form an integral part of the transition toward a low-carbon world — has been gaining traction internationally as we collectively strive to address the important questions raised by this concept. But is Just Transition simply another buzzword, or should we take it seriously to advance international climate and sustainable development debates?

This research examined the social economy (SE) in Seoul, Republic of Korea, and how it is contributing to implementing and, ultimately, achieving the city’s “localized” SDGs. Characterized by a rapid development of proactive SE policies, dramatic growth of SE organizations and enterprises, and the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s strong commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the city’s experience offers a valuable opportunity to further enrich understanding of social and solidarity economy as a means of implementation of the SDGs. This was the first case study of a series of research projects on SSE and the SDGs which UNRISD is planning to undertake.

Social and solidarity economy (SSE) has significant potential to contribute to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, given the commitment, common to both, to looking beyond economic development and seeking out ways to make social and environmental improvements in people’s lives. But how effectively is this potential being leveraged? The city of Seoul in the Republic of Korea offers a useful testing ground to answer this question, as it has recently implemented a series of policies encouraging the growth of its social economy (SE). This Brief assesses the impact of SE in Seoul across the economic, social, environmental and political dimensions, and relates these impacts to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).